This is progress, but it’s still unscientific advice:
In December, the advisory panel said in its preliminary recommendations that cholesterol is no longer “considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” That would be a change from previous guidelines, which said Americans eat too much cholesterol. This follows increasing medical research showing how much cholesterol is in your bloodstream is more complicated than once thought, and depends more on the kinds of fats that you eat. Medical groups have moved away from specific targets for cholesterol in the diet in recent years.
It’s unclear if the recommendation will make it into the final guidelines. Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver who is a past president of the American Heart Association, told Reuters that there’s not enough evidence to make good recommendations on cholesterol right now, but “no evidence doesn’t mean the evidence is no.”
People can enjoy high-cholesterol egg yolks in moderation, but “a three- to four-egg omelet isn’t something I’d ever recommend to a patient at risk for cardiovascular disease,” he says.
Junk science.
And then there’s this:
Of course, all fat must be consumed in moderation, which is why many dieticians recommend eating only a few egg yolks each week. And for patients with a history of vascular disease, keeping track of the eggs they eat is critical to their health. A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that patients with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease should limit their cholesterol intake from foods to about 200 milligrams a day.
Despite their fat and cholesterol content, egg yolks are a good source of vitamin A and iron, along with a host of other nutrients.
It’s not “despite” that. Saturated fat is good for you. It’s the healthiest kind of fat, and trying to replace it has been a public-health disaster. One battle at a time, I suppose.
A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that patients with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease…
At this point I was expecting to see next how some kind of epidemiological study had found a correlation between cholesterol intake and some quantified adverse health outcomes.
…should limit their cholesterol intake from foods to about 200 milligrams a day.
Err, I’m missing the ‘B’ in the logic from A -> C. I can understand ultimately making a ‘should’ inference from a study result, but the ‘should’ isn’t the resulting data, it comes from the interpretation.
“
DespiteBecause of their fat and cholesterol content, egg yolks are a good source of vitamin A and iron, along with a host of other nutrients.”I’m wavering between thinking their Health writers don’t understand what “fat-soluble” means or what “Despite” means. Probably both.
The Japanese have a saying that an egg a day is good for your health. There it is common to eat an egg on breakfast. Considering their average life expectancy they must not be too far away from the truth.
Egg yolks and butter are among the few sources of Retinol (vitamin A) in the current Western diet. And no eating the Beta-carotene (provitamin A) contained in carrots is not the same thing.
Rand,
I don’t know know if you are right or wrong about fat and colesterol, call me open minded, but every time you bring the subject up I can not help but be reminded of a bit I saw once from and old Woody Allen movie. I don’t know which one, I am not a big Woody Allen fan, but apparently the idea was that Woody’s character had somehow been taken from the 20th century to some far future and was being kept under observation in a medical laboratory. He is shown fussily preparing a breakfast that looks like a bowl of wheat germ or something like that. A doctor and nurse are watching him from behind a one way mirror. The nurse asks what he is doing and the doctor explains that that will be his breakfast. The astonished nurse replies with something to the effect of, “But didn’t they know about bacon, deep fat frying, dutch apple pie?” The doctor says, “No, sadly, in his time all these were thought to be unhealthy.” Cracks me up every time I think about it. Oh, how I wish it could be true!
Yes, that was from Sleeper.
From “Sleeper” (1973)
Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called “wheat germ, organic honey and tiger’s milk.”
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or… hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy… precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.
I don’t usually like Woody Allen movies either but that one was simply great. Not just that scene about the food, but also the ‘car escape’ scene, and messing up the leader’s cloning scene.